The NOE family from the Meetjesland in East-Flanders, Belgium

B II b Matthias Noë

Matthias was their fourth son. Laurentius
Van Landtschoot was his godfather and Petronella Vanden Broecke was his godmother.
When Matthias was 6 years old he lost his mother and from 1670 on he was brought
up by his stepmother Marie Willems.

A year after the death of his father and a week after the wedding of his
sister Georgia he married in Eeklo. His bride was Catharina Cromheecke.
He was barely 20 years old and she was 22.

He worked the farm of his father in the Oostveld (Eastfield) in Eeklo but between 1690
and 1696 the family moved to Waarschoot-Beke.

The last quarter of the 17th Century was a period of almost permanent
war. France and the other great powers clearly had it in for our regions
and our country was again and again under occupation. The death of King
Charles II of Spain in 1700 was followed by the War of the Spanish Succession
which meant more
troops passing through our country and for our people that meant plundering and
the destruction of their property. This war ended with the Peace of Utrecht in
1713 when our regions became part of the Austrian Empire.

Matthias and Catharina certainly didn't have a quiet life: they knew all
about the scourge of war. He died on 14 January 1696. Catharina survived him
by more than 30 years. She died on 11/11/1727 at her daughter Adriana's place
in the Weststraat in Waarschoot.

Their children:

Maria Noë
° Eeklo 30-7-1678
She was married in Waarschoot on 28/4/1703 to Cornelius de Meyere.
† Waarschoot 26/1/1706
From this marriage:

Catharina de Meyere,
born in Waarschoot on February 3, 1704, christened there on February 3, 1704
(the godparents were Joannes van Wassenhove and
Catharina Cromheecke).

Adriana Noë
° Eeklo 24-11-1690
She married Judocus De Groote in
Waarschoot on 7/4/1710.
They had 2 sons and 3 daughters.
They exploited their own small farm of 70 rods in the West Road in Waarschoot
and rented a few more acres from "den aermen", a local government
commission set up to take care of the poor. They didn't have a horse,
but they had a labourer to whom they owed 1-8-10 pounds and 6 shillings when
Judocus died on 9/12/1748 in Waarschoot. (48)
Adriana was midwife. She helped a lot of people also in nearby Ronsele.
She was also illiterate. Here is her "mark":

This is the mark + of Adriaene Noê, widow of Joost de Groote son
of Jan.